How It Happens
by wstrnplsr105
Summary: Henry doesn't really know how it all happens. But he doesn't question it.
**So I literally wrote this in maybe fifteen minutes without a clue as to where I was going with it. But anyway, I hope it turned out okay, I'm hoping to finish up my _Just Friends_ oneshots (I finished the first, and am currently working on the second), so look for those sometime very soon hopefully! Hope you guys like it!**

* * *

Henry doesn't really know how it all happens.

One minute, he and Charlotte are trying to come down the tubes into the Man Cave, and the next, they are standing in front of a bearded Ray and a creepy (well, more than usual anyway) looking Schwoz doing some weird salute-handshake-thing.

Because this is an opposite universe, as he later figures out, that explains why he and Charlotte pretty much switch roles.

She freaks out.

(Just a little.)

" _Okay, what is going on?"_

" **I think Ray's mad at Schwoz-"**

" _I know that!"_

(He thought it was an appropriate answer.)

" _I mean, why is this place all different?! And them, and our clothes-"_

" **Just don't say anything until we can get alone and talk."**

She accepts that.

(For now.)

So when they backway towards the elevator to get _headache medicine_ , Henry automatically pulls Charlotte with him. After all, she's the only normal thing around here, and he's not letting her go.

" _My God, look!"_

Even Junk N Stuff looks different. He doesn't know what exactly is going on yet, but he _does_ know that they need to be cool, calm, and collected.

" _Even Junk N Stuff is all different!"_

(Three things that Charlotte is currently _not.)_

" _I wanna know what's going on, and I wanna know right n-"_

In a situation like this, it's perfectly acceptable to yank a friend over a counter.

(Charlotte can't help but wonder when he got so strong.)

Between talking about Charlotte's _brownie recipe,_ he figures it out. He doesn't realize _how_ bad it really may be until Charlotte stops him.

" _Wait…If we somehow got transported to this evil, opposite universe…"_

" **Yeah…"**

" _Does that mean there are evil versions of you and me that got sent to our universe?"_

Oh crap.

He forgets that he's the voice of reason at the moment and panics.

Which means Charlotte panics.

"This is bad, this is _really bad_!" She starts pacing frantically, her voice getting louder and louder as she keeps ranting without breathing between sentences.

"What are we gonna do?! Ray and Schwoz probably have no idea what's going on and there are evil versions of us that probably look just like us and if evil us figures it out before Ray and Schwoz do then they could hurt them and this is _bad this is really bad-"_

"Char!" He hisses quietly, trying to calm her down without making it more obvious to the security cameras that are probably all around the room.

"-What happens if we get stuck here and we never get back home and we have to stay here with evil Ray and Schwoz with that stupid tuft on his head that makes him look like some extinct bird-"

"Charlotte, you've got to be quiet!" Henry tries again, looking around nervously as she keeps on.

"-and we have to be evil so Ray and Schwoz don't figure it out and I don't want to be evil Henry!" She grabs him by his shirt collar and yanks him down to her level, her brown eyes wide with panic and her breath coming in short pants.

(Just as he thinks she might be done…)

"Being evil isn't nice! I don't want to be evil and I don't want you to be evil and I don't like evil Ray and evil Schwoz and I-"

And somehow, Henry's brain telling him to get her to shut up turns into his hands on either side of her face and his mouth lands on hers.

 _Silence._

(Finally.)

He thinks she stops breathing and he's honestly not too sure about himself. His lungs are burning and his mind has gone blank, and he swears his heart is about to come out of his chest.

When he pulls away, her eyes are wide and her lips are parted in surprise.

(He tries not to think about her lips and how they felt against his.)

Before she can form the words to ask him what the heck just happened, he quickly blurts out an excuse.

"You wouldn't stop talking."

She blinks at this and she finally seems to take a breath before nodding once.

"O-okay."

He looks everywhere but her and she clears her throat awkwardly.

"We should go back down to the Man Cave and figure out what to do."

"Yeah." She quickly agrees and follows him to the elevator.

(It's not like they keep their distance or anything. And there's no awkward silence.)

* * *

It's never felt so good to be back in the Man Cave.

Ray and Schwoz are both normal-

(Well, as close as Schwoz can get to normal.)

-and everything is back to how it should be.

Except that Henry's pinkie finger hurts.

 _Really bad._

But of course, he can't go to the doctor. What would he say anyway?

" _Captain Man broke my finger in an opposite universe where he was evil. Oh, how do I know him? I'm Kid Danger."_

(Something tells him that wouldn't work too well.)

So he settles for Schwoz confirming that his pinkie is broken and telling him he needs a splint for a few weeks.

Which is how he ends up sitting on the couch of the Man Cave, his best friend-

 _-who he might have kissed earlier that day-_

-applying a splint to his crooked (even he cringes at the unnatural angle) finger while they both avoid eye contact at all costs.

It's somewhat bearable until Schwoz announces that he needs to go down to the hardware store and Ray mentions something about going on a date with some exotic Brazilian woman.

"You don't have to go to the hardware store now, do you?" Charlotte asks, trying to sound casual.

"The storm still did some damage to the tubes." Schwoz explains as he heads to the elevator, "They have to be fixed before they can be used again."

"Ray, are you sure you want to go out _now_?" Henry turns to the brunette in desperation.

"Brazilian. Woman." Ray emphasizes and Henry rolls his eyes.

"Why, what's up with you two?" The older man asks, eyeing Charlotte and Henry curiously.

"Nothing!" The blonde quickly defends.

"We're just so glad to see you two that we hate you're leaving so soon." Charlotte pipes up with a forced smile.

"Aww…" Ray's face turns sympathetic for a moment before it drops.

"Bye!"

"See ya!" Schwoz adds as the two step into the elevator and the doors shut.

 _Annnd here comes the awkward silence._

(Again.)

Charlotte quickly goes back to focusing on wrapping the white medical tape around the splint and Henry's pinkie as he tries not to wince in pain. He doesn't realize he had made a noise until Charlotte muttered an apology.

"It's fine." He mumbles, trying to ignore the way she's cradling his hand and sending tingles up his arm.

He meets her gaze when she pauses and he feels his face heat up under her questioning stare.

"What?" He blurts out defensively and she looks down at his hand before looking back up at him.

"You jerked away."

"No I didn't." He doesn't know if he did or not, but he tries to deny it anyway.

" _Yes, you did._ " She retorts before yanking his hand lightly and finishing off the tape.

"Your hands are cold." He knows his excuse is lame, but it's the best he could come up with at the moment.

"No they're not." She says under her breath, smoothing down the end of the tape before dropping his hand on the table.

"Oww!" He yelps instinctively, shooting her a glare. She simply rolls her eyes in return and gets up, walking toward the desk where she usually works on research.

"What's your problem?" He spins around to face her from his seat on the couch.

She spins around to face him from her place at the desk with a look of disbelief.

"What's _my_ problem?!" She repeats and he swears her eyes are on fire, "What's _your_ problem?!"

"I don't have a problem!" He spits back in the same tone, "You're the one who dropped my injured hand on the table!"

"It's just your pinkie!"

"It still hurts!"

"And anyway, _you're_ the one who kissed me and has been acting weird ever since!" She snaps back and he swears his cheeks turn cherry red.

"I….didn't kiss you." He tries desperately to think of a way to word it, "I just stopped you from talking and blowing our cover."

"With your lips."

He makes that look where he knows he's wrong but he still has hope.

"Yeahhh…"

"I don't know about you, but where I'm from, that's called kissing." Charlotte crosses her arms over her chest and raises an eyebrow.

 _Well, she's got him there._

"Yeah, but…"

"No! You kissed me, Henry!" She stops him before he can think of another excuse.

"Char-" He knows if he doesn't stop her now…

"Friends don't kiss friends!"

"I know-"

"Then why did you kiss me?!"

"To stop you from talking!"

"You couldn't have just yanked me over the counter again?!"

"You didn't like it when I did the first time!"

"Well it's better than kissing me!"

"Gee, thanks Char!"

"You know that's not what I meant!"

"I'll try not to be such an unpleasant person to kiss next time!"

"Henry, you know that's not what I meant and _next time?!"_

"You know that's not what I meant!"

"Then what did you mean?!"

"I meant that you think I'm a bad kisser and that you would rather be yanked over a counter than kiss me!"

"That's not true!"

"Then why did you want me to yank you over the counter again rather than kiss you?!"

"I didn't!"

"Then why did you say that?!"

"Because you only kissed me to shut me up!"

"That's what I've been saying!"

"But that's the problem!"

"That I kissed you?!"

"No, that you kissed me only to shut me up!"

"Why is that a prob-"

 _Bingo._

"-Ohhhhh."

His eyes are wide and she's blushing and not looking at him.

"That wasn't supposed to come out." She murmurs as she looks down at her Doc Martens as if they're the most fascinating thing in the world.

"Char-"

"Look, let's just pretend that none of that happened-" She tries to reason as he steps towards her.

"Charlot-"

"Really, Hen, it's stupid and I'd rather not-"

" _Charlotte._ " He stops a few feet away from her and she wonders if her lungs will always collapse when he is around because honestly, she's not very fond of it.

"You wanted me to kiss you.." his voice is soft, and she swallows nervously as he takes another step forward, "because I wanted to?"

Her mouth is dry and she can't seem to form words so she just stares back at him, praying that she hasn't just screwed their entire friendship up.

"Char?"

She nods, her eyes dropping back down to her boots.

"Well I kissed you before to shut you up…"

Her heart drops in her chest and she shuts her eyes, bracing for the rejection she knows is coming.

His voice is suddenly a lot closer and she can smell that familiar mixture of peppermint and something she's never been able to place but all she knows is it's _him._

"So I guess it's only fair that I make up for it."

Her eyes open when she feels his hand on her chin, tilting her face up to his. Then his lips are on hers and his left hand is cupping her face and at some point his right hand is on her waist, barely there but still sending chills down her spine, and she thinks that this must be a dream and _dear Lord_ she does _not_ want to wake up if it is.

She feels strange talking about how soft his lips are but she can't help it. She kissing her best friend who she's had a crush on for who knows how long, so you can't really blame her.

Henry can't believe this is actually happening. He keeps waiting for her to push him away, to tell him that it was all a joke, that she doesn't really feel that way. She doesn't, however, and he feels like the luckiest person on the planet right now. She's always been there for him, always gotten him out of every situation, every nightmare (literally), and he still can't believe he's actually kissing her right now.

What feels like seconds, yet hours later, they're staring at each other in disbelief. Eyes wide, lips parted in surprise like before. But this time, the corners of Henry's mouth turn up and Charlotte can't hide her own grin.

Henry doesn't really know how it all happened.

(But he doesn't question it.)


End file.
